Former Alabama standout Bud Cauley knows what he's facing this week, and it's not just the rest of the field in the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Golf Club in Greensboro, N.C. It's more than that.

Cauley ranks No. 130 in the FedEx Cup points standings. He is 18 points behind No. 125 Steven Bowditch. That's significant for a very significant reason: the top 125 players in the points standings at the end of this week earn a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. More importantly, those 125 players will be fully exempt next season.

So if it seems the players are under a little extra pressure for the tournament that starts today, they probably are.

MISSING IN ACTION: The pairings sheet for the Wyndham Championship will be missing something the next four days: big names. Of the top 15 players on the World Golf Rankings, only one -- No. 7 Brandt Snedeker -- is in the field. Of the top 15 players on the FedEx Cup standings, only three -- No. 3 Snedeker, No. 6 Bill Haas and No. 12 Boo Weekley -- are in the field.

That means no Tiger, no Phil, no Rory, no Adam and no Justin. Likewise, no Dufner, no Stenson, no Stricker, no McDowell and no Kuchar.

DUFNER LEAP: There's another factor concerning Jason Dufner's PGA Championship victory that should be noted. The Auburn golfer made a big leap in the World Golf Rankings thanks to the victory. he started last week ranked No. 21 in the world. He is now at No. 8.

5 TO WATCH: I have hit the trifecta, having picked the winner among my 5 To Watch selections for the past three weeks. Quoting Elvis, thank you, thank you very much. Yep Dufner was among my five picks last week. In fact, all five of my picks made the cut (Tiger Woods, Snedeker, Hunter Mahan, Henrik Stenson and Dufner), with Stenson finishing third. In my five more picks, all but Bubba Watson made the cut and two (Steve Striker, Rory McIlroy) finished in the top 12.

So now that I have your attention, here's this week's picks for the Wyndham Championship: Brandt Snedeker: OK, so I pick him a lot. This week, he's the only player in the top 15 if the world rankings in the field. Bill Haas: He's been playing solid golf, so no reason to think he won't win. Jordan Spieth: The young golfer has been making waves, this week he may make some noise. Boo Weekley: Just a feeling this week will be good for Boo, who has been playing well of late. Sergio Garcia: If he can quit being his own worst enemy, he could win, and he doesn't have to compete against the guys who usually beat him because they're not in the field.

Just for fun (again) here are five more to watch: Martin Kaymer, Zach Johnson, Ryo Ishikawa, Charles Howell III and Ricky Barnes.

Check out the video below of Bill Haas talking about the firmness of the greens this week.

MATCHUPS: There are a few interesting groupings for tee times the first two days. Ones that caught my eye: Matin Kaymer, K.J. Choi and Geoff Ogilvie; Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia and Webb Simpson; Jordan Spieth, Bill Haas and Zach Johnson; and probably the best best on their games and personalities: Woody Austin, Padraig Harrington and Tommy "Two Gloves'' Gainey.